Analysis of Progeny for Productivity Traits and Summer Dormancy of Dactylis glomerata L

Abstract

Desertification constitutes a significant risk for the persistence of native population. For forage plants growing in areas subject to prolonged and severe summer drought, the most important agronomic characteristic is not the ability to produce during drought but the ability to survive, recover in autumn, and grow actively during the rainy seasons. Dormancy is an adaptive response deŞned as growth suppression in summer despite irrigation, is an effective adaptation to drought observed in cocksfoot. Nevertheless, summer dormancy in cocksfoot is associated with low vegetative productivity. The objective of this study was to select hybrids with good level of production and range of dormancy in a progeny generated between a summer dormant and a summer active genotype. The preliminary results showed that some hybrids had important level of senescence similar to dormant parent with good spring biomass production, despite an expected negative correlation (r=-0.119) between the level of senescence under summer irrigation and biomass production under favourable conditions in spring

Keywords

• cocksfoot, hybrids, senescence, biomass production, summer dormancy